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NCT Number: NCT07585604

Impact of BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel vs Routine Diagnostics on Antimicrobial Outcomes (DOOR-MAT)

Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections are a growing global health concern. Hospital-acquired pneumonia is one of the most common infections occurring during hospitalization and can be associated with high mortality, reaching up to 50% in severe cases. One of the main reasons for poor outcomes is the delay in starting the most appropriate antibiotic treatment.

Standard laboratory methods used to identify the bacteria and determine which antibiotics are effective usually take between 48 and 96 hours to provide results. During this time, patients often receive broad-spectrum antibiotics, which may not be optimal and can contribute to antimicrobial resistance.

Rapid diagnostic tests, such as the BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Pneumonia Panel, can detect multiple bacteria and important resistance markers directly from respiratory samples in about one hour. These tests are already approved for use in Brazil and are easy to perform. Previous studies in patients with community-acquired pneumonia have shown that these rapid tests can help doctors choose more appropriate antibiotics earlier and may improve patient outcomes.

However, their benefit has not been well studied in patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia, especially in settings where multidrug-resistant bacteria are common. In these situations, early and appropriate adjustment of antibiotic therapy is particularly important for improving outcomes and ensuring the responsible use of advanced antibiotics.

This study aims to compare the use of rapid diagnostic panels with standard laboratory methods in hospitalized patients with suspected pneumonia. The main focus is to evaluate how quickly and how appropriately antibiotic treatment can be adjusted after sample collection, using a structured scoring system, the Desirability of Outcome Ranking for the Management of Antimicrobial Therapy(DOOR-MAT), as well as to assess clinical outcomes.

The results of this study may help determine whether rapid diagnostic testing improves patient care in real-world hospital settings. The findings could support decision-making within the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) regarding the adoption of this technology, and may also contribute to future analyses of its cost-effectiveness.

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Key information

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥18 years.
  • Clinical diagnosis of hospital-acquired pneumonia or clinically relevant tracheobronchitis requiring antimicrobial treatment, with or without mechanical ventilation.
  • No respiratory cultures collected in the last 72 hours (except for the culture that will potentially be evaluated in the study-trigger for inclusion).
  • Agreement from the patient or legal representative to sign the Informed Consent Form (ICF).

Exclusion criteria

  • Inadequate respiratory samples according to laboratory cutoffs for squamous epithelial cells and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (sputum or endotracheal aspirate).
  • Incarcerated populations.
  • Pregnant women.

Treatment and study plan

Multiplex PCR-based pneumonia panel (BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Pneumonia Panel)

Diagnostic Test

The BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Pneumonia Panel is a rapid, automated molecular diagnostic test designed to detect a broad range of respiratory pathogens directly from lower respiratory tract samples, such as sputum, tracheal aspirates, or bronchoalveolar lavage. The system integrates sample preparation, nucleic acid extraction, amplification, and detection into a single, fully automated platform.

The test can identify multiple bacterial and viral pathogens, as well as key antimicrobial resistance genes, within approximately one hour. It provides semi-quantitative results for selected bacteria, which may help differentiate colonization from infection. The panel is designed for ease of use and requires minimal hands-on time.

By delivering rapid and comprehensive microbiological results, the BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Pneumonia Panel has the potential to support earlier optimization of antimicrobial therapy, improve clinical decision-making, and contribute to antimicrobial stewardship efforts, partic

Primary outcomes

  1. Adequacy of antimicrobial prescriptions using the Desirability of Outcome Ranking for the Management of Antimicrobial Therapy (DOOR-MAT).

    Time frame: 24 hours after the sample receipt in the microbiology laboratory

    Adequacy of antimicrobial prescriptions using the following scoring system based on DOOR-MAT analysis within the first 24 hours after the sample receipt.

    Antimicrobial therapy will be evaluated on the first day after inclusion and classified by two blinded infectious disease physicians according to the criteria described below. In case of disagreement, a third evaluator will adjudicate using the same criteria. :

    • Ideal treatment (most desirable): Preferred antibiotic, without unnecessary additional antimicrobials. 100 points.
    • Overtreatment: Preferred antibiotic + combination with unnecessary antimicrobials or active antimicrobials with a broader spectrum than necessary. 50 points.
    • Inactive or suboptimal treatment* (least desirable). 0 points. Patients with no diagnosis (negative culture and Biofire negative)-0 points. *Patients receiving active drugs in vitro, but not preferred in clinical practice.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Proportion of days in under-treatment and/or overtreatment

    Time frame: 7 days

    Proportion of days in under-treatment and/or overtreatment during the first 7 days (D1-D7) after study inclusion and time to ideal therapy in both groups. DOOR - Response Adjusted for Duration of Antibiotic Risk (RADAR).

  2. Simulated ideal Desirability of Outcome Ranking for the Management of Antimicrobial Therapy (DOOR-MAT) scores

    Time frame: 24 hours

    Antimicrobial prescription convenience scores on the first day, simulating these choices made by physicians following the BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY panels' results (ideal scores): - Ideal treatment (most desirable): Preferred antibiotic, without unnecessary additional antimicrobials. 100 points. - Overtreatment: Preferred antibiotic + combination with unnecessary antimicrobials or active antimicrobials with a broader spectrum than necessary. 50 points. - Inactive or suboptimal treatment* (least desirable). 0 points. Patients with no diagnosis (negative culture and Biofire negative)-0 points.

  3. Agreement between real Desirability of Outcome Ranking for the Management of Antimicrobial Therapy (DOOR-MAT) scores and ideal scores

    Time frame: 24 hours

    Agreement between real desirability DOOR-MAT scores and ideal scores considering the rapid test results were followed (this is only within the intervention arm): - Ideal treatment (most desirable): Preferred antibiotic, without unnecessary additional antimicrobials. 100 points. - Overtreatment: Preferred antibiotic + combination with unnecessary antimicrobials or active antimicrobials with a broader spectrum than necessary. 50 points. - Inactive or suboptimal treatment* (least desirable). 0 points. Patients with no diagnosis (negative culture and Biofire negative)-0 points.

  4. 30-day mortality

    Time frame: 30 days

    Comparison of 30-day mortality rates between the intervention and control arms.

  5. Clinical outcomes from Desirability of Outcome Ranking (DOOR)

    Time frame: 2, 7 and 14 days

    Clinical outcomes will be assessed using the DOOR at days 2, 7, and 14. Patients will be assigned a score from 1 (most desirable outcome) to 5 (least desirable outcome) based on the occurrence of the following events: (1) absence of clinical response, (2) infectious complications, and (3) serious adverse events. Patients who do not develop any of these events will be assigned a score of 1; those who develop one, two, or all three events will be assigned scores of 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Patients who die will be assigned a score of 5.

  6. Agreement between Desirability of Outcome Ranking for the Management of Antimicrobial Therapy (DOOR-MAT) and Clinical DOOR scores

    Time frame: 14 days

    Agreement between DOOR-MAT scores at 24 hours (desirability scale ranging from 0 [least desirable] to 100 [most desirable]) and clinical outcome scores at 14 days (ordinal scale ranging from 1 [most desirable] to 5 [least desirable]) will be evaluated in a two-dimensional space.

  7. Desirability of Outcome Ranking for the Management of Antimicrobial Therapy (DOOR-MAT) scores in subgroups

    Time frame: 24 hours

    DOOR-MAT scores in subgroups with microbiologically confirmed infections, viral infections, gram-positive infections, gram-negative infections, and carbapenem-resistant gram-negative infections: - Ideal treatment (most desirable): Preferred antibiotic, without unnecessary additional antimicrobials. 100 points. - Overtreatment: Preferred antibiotic + combination with unnecessary antimicrobials or active antimicrobials with a broader spectrum than necessary. 50 points. - Inactive or suboptimal treatment* (least desirable). 0 points. Patients with no diagnosis (negative culture and Biofire negative)-0 points. *Patients receiving active drugs in vitro, but not preferred in clinical practice.

  8. Cost-effectiveness analysis

    Time frame: through study completion, an average of 1 year

    To compare cost-effectiveness between the BioFire arm and the control arm using retrospectively collected data from the hospital management system.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Maria Helena Rigatto, MD, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+55 51 33597759

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

Other

Collaborators

  • BioMérieux

Registry information

Official study title

A Randomized Multicenter Clinical Trial Comparing BIOFIRE® FILMARRAY® Pneumonia (PN) Panels Versus Routine Diagnostic Methods in Desirability of Outcome Ranking for the Management of Antimicrobial Therapy (DOOR MAT) in Hospitalized Patients With Lower Respiratory Tract Infections.

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
May 14, 2026
Registry last updated
May 14, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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